We were pretty much in love with the Windows Phone 7 Dell Venue Pro after viewing it. It offered very high build quality, fantastic performance, and a great smartphone keyboard to boot. We’re quite sure that it’s the best Windows Phone 7 launch device to be released thus far.

When we heard that Dell would be making a new keyboardless version of the same phone with Google Android, we were quite excited, and it’s finally here. The Dell Venue is an Android 2.2 smartphone that runs on T-Mobile’s network. It can even do HSPA+ and benefit from 4G-like speeds [...]

Following up on our unboxing and initial review of the Google Android Dell Venue, we take a closer look at hardware in this video. Like the Windows Phone 7 Venue Pro, the new Venue phone has fantastic build quality. It features a mix of materials like glass, a bit of metal, and different textures of plastic, giving the device a fantastic in-hand feel. Naturally, the quality comes at a price…it’s heavy compared to other Android phones. Not only is it heavy, but it’s big, thanks to the commanding 4.1″ AMOLED screen, which does a great job with contrast and color, [...]

Next week is the 12th annual CanSecWest conference in Vancouver, BC, focused on digital security. Among the presentations being made is a contest called “Pwn2Own” which targets web browsers and mobile devices.

Each contestant has a 30-minute time slot to complete their hacking attempt. A specially-designed RF enclosure will be on-site to allow the use of radio frequency (RF) based hacks that potentially could affect other devices in use at the conference. A video feed will be recorded of the device inside the enclosure and published after the completion of the [...]

Mobile analytics provider mtiks has made some Windows Phone 7 related numbers public on its blog regarding app statistics by device, country and usage.

According to the figures, the US market is the number one market for Windows Phone 7 applications with 57.3% — which is to be expected as a home country with a vast population and two carriers to start off the platform — followed by Germany (18.48%) and UK (7.49%).

Both app number and app usage-wise, the Samsung Focus is the most popular Windows Phone 7 device followed by the HTC HD7. From a centralized point [...]

Whatever the Dell Venue Pro did to upset the smartphone gods, its period of penance may be starting to wrap up, as the Windows Phone 7 device looks like it’s finally going to be available to customers in Great Britain, going up for sale on Dell’s UK site.

If you haven’t been following the phone’s rocky history, the Venue Pro ran into delays in the US, with not enough stock to meet customer orders. Those who did manage to get their phones reported bugs ranging from problems reading SIM cards to an inability to connect to protected WiFi networks. Although [...]

This week we talk about Mobile World Congress, where Sony Ericsson introduced the Xperia Play, Neo, Pro, and Arc; HTC announced the Desire S, Wildfire S, Incredible S, Salsa, and ChaCha; Samsung introduced the Galaxy S II; an LG unveiled the Optimus 3D. We also talk about Apple’s next iPhone, Honeycomb running on Android phones, AT&T’s VoLTE ambitions, the leaked Dell roadmap, and new phone releases for this week.

The PocketCast is now available both on iTunes and on Zune. You can get to each just by searching for “Pocketnow.” Or, here is the direct [...]

Even if you are not a Windows Phone 7 user, you most probably learned by now that Microsoft has started pushing out a first Windows Phone 7 update, a prerequisite if you will for the upcoming NoDo to be out in March. On the same note, you probably also heard that there were some issues involved and Microsoft has made its stance public on the first ever Windows Phone 7 patch roll-out process.

According to Microsoft, 90% of the people who actually got the update notification and started the process have managed to finalize it with success. 90% is a good number if you refer to nine [...]

Dell’s Venue Pro may have had a rough launch, but the company seems unfazed as it gets ready for its next wave of smartphones, at least according to a leaked timeline of the company’s tablet and smartphone goals for the next year. If the information therein proves accurate, we’re looking forward to a somewhat-tweaked Venue Pro, a brand-new WP7 model, and a pair of dual-core Androids.

The first of these rumored smartphones is the Venue Pro MLK, with “additional features and enhancements” over the original model. The phone’s hardware is likely [...]

To be quite honest, we’ve given up counting the times the Dell Venue Pro got delayed in the UK — Europe for that matter. Last time the device got delayed though was from the second week of 2011 to mid-February and guess what: it’s been further delayed!

There is no explanation regarding the current delay but instead of stocking up with the Windows Phone 7 device by mid-February — as stated, due to an MMS problem — our friends over at Clove.co.uk report that the smartphone will indeed arrive to stock in early March. Yes, that is five months after [...]

You may have already heard about many Dell Venue Pro customers having issues with their devices freezing while downloading files or apps over WiFi. For a video on how to reproduce the problem and see if you’ve got it, check out our post here. One customer has posted in the Dell Community forum that replacing the microSD card that comes with the Dell Venue Pro has solved the problem. “zeevDVP” has replaced his with a Sandisk class 2 32GB card and 8GB card and reports that both have solved the freezing problem. Matthew Miller of ZDNet has even replaced his microSD [...]

Dell has launched its Android 2.2 Froyo-powered Dell Venue in the US, in versions for both AT&T and T-Mobile 3G. Both models cost $500, and are only available unlocked.

Close cousin to the Dell Venue Pro Windows Mobile 7 (minus the keyboard), the Venue runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, features a 4.1-inch WVGA AMOLED display, and sports a 720o-capable eight-megapixel camera.

Each variant supports 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE, with AT&T’s doing 850/1900/2100MHz WCDMA (HSPA) and T-Mo’s featuring 900/1700/2100MHz WCDMA — this is the one [...]

Dell did a fantastic job with the Dell Venue Pro that runs Windows Phone 7, so it’s no wonder that we had high hopes for the Android-powered Dell Venue. Once known as the Thunder, the Dell Venue is an Android 2.2 Froyo smartphone which inherits the same high build quality from its Windows Phone 7 counterpart. It’s also utilizing Dell’s proprietary Stage UI, made famous by the Dell Streak. Out of the box the Dell Venue is equipped to run on T-Mobile’s network and also European 3G networks, so it’s a highly versatile device. Do we have another winner on our [...]

The Dell Venue, the Venue Pro’s Android cousin, isn’t even in wide release yet, but tinkerers have already managed to develop a working process by which to root the smartphone.

If you like your phones big and heavy, you’ll probably dig the solidly-constructed Venue, which we praised for its build quality and great display. For a close look at what makes the phone tick, you should check out both our hardware and software review videos.

The ever-resourceful crew over at the XDA-Developers Forum has come up with a short series of steps you can take to try [...]

After taking a closer look at the glorious hardware of the Dell Venue, we now wanted to walk you through what Dell has done in the software department to make the Venue unique. Previously known as the Thunder, the Venue brings forth Dell’s Android Stage UI from the Dell Streak. This simply means that instead of smaller widgets, Dell likes full-screen widgets that take on just one function. For many, this might mean multiple home screens filled with large widgets, for better or for worse. You get about eight widgets to choose from including: Home (with weather and recently used [...]

AT&T users may soon have the opportunity to check out Dell’s Windows Phone 7 device on their network, as a Dell Venue Pro featuring a cellular radio compatible with AT&T’s 3G band has been discovered, available for pre-order.

We talked about the possibility of AT&T getting the Venue Pro last month, when FCC filings revealed the reconfigured smartphone. We haven’t heard any news on the possibility of AT&T carrying the WP7 device since then, but considering all the trouble Dell had even getting the phone out to T-Mobile customers, we [...]

We were thoroughly impressed with Dell’s first Windows Phone 7 device, in fact, we rated it a 4.5/5 in our review of the Venue Pro. It was fast, had an extremely high level of build quality, and it packed a fantastic slide-down keyboard that made text entry a breeze.

A recent tweet from a BBC reporter reveals that Dell has plans for more Windows Phone 7 handsets, thanks to the huge demand they’ve seen for the Venue Pro: Windows Phone 7: Michael Dell tells me demand for these phones is higher than Dell can supply, but guards “we don’t make *that* [...]

Times certainly are changing. Devices that can boast a larger screen are becoming the current fad. By increasing screen sizes manufacturers hope to fortify users’ ability to multitask and become even more efficient by maximizing usability. Dell has jumped onto the bandwagon by releasing the Dell Streak, an Android tablet device that also doubles as a phone. The 5″ screen certainly creates a long list of possibilities, but will the screen be too big, making the phone cumbersome? Read on to find out!

The Dell Venue Pro is the second-to-last launch device to sport the new Windows Phone 7 operating system. It’s possible that they’ve saved the best for the end, though, because the Venue Pro features a slick slide-down keyboard, fantastic build quality, and great performance. The sleek form factor comes at a cost though, and this smarpthone isn’t for everyone. In this review we’ll cover the hardware and software of the phone and leave you with a final reccomendation on whether you should buy a Venue Pro.

Back in December, the Dell Venue Pro’s started shipping. We reviewed the 8Gb version and it seemed like the best Windows Phone 7 on the market. Unfortunately if you ordered a 16Gb version, the story might be awfully different. I got my first 16Gb Dell Venue Pro on December 23rd, 2010 and I soon noticed that it would freeze up or go to a totally black screen (except for the clock) while downloading and installing large apps over WiFi. There is a long thread in the Dell support forums about this issue. Those of us experiencing the problem had to call Dell to schedule an [...]

The Dell Venue Pro scored a 4.5 out of 5 in our review and, regardless of the many delays and issues it witnessed for its launch — the latest European delay is referring to some MMS problems — it looks to be coming to Germany as well as other European countries.

Dell told the::unwired at the CeBit preview that it plans to bring the Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 handset to “Germany and maybe even further European countries”. With so many problems and issues the device’s availability met from its launch back in November 8 — together with all the [...]

The Dell Venue Pro was supposed to be in stock with our friends over at Clove.co.uk at the beginning of January 2011 but, after an initial delay to second week of 2011, the device was delayed again until mid-February.

According to the information published on Clove’s blog, the delay is due to Microsoft as there seem to be some MMS related problems. We can’t even remember how many times the Dell Venue Pro was delayed due to various issues and, though available in the US since December 2010, we have managed to review the device which we found good enough to score a [...]